The Industrial Welfare Association (Sangyo Fukuri Kyokai) was established in 1925 by the Bureau of Social Affairs, the Home Ministry, for the promotion of industrial safety. The Ohara Institute owns about 100 posters produced by the association.

In those days, the number of industrial accidents was on the rise: the number of deaths resulting from industrial accidents doubled between 1930 and 1934, from 243 to 521. Posters of Industrial Welfare Association drew people's attention to major causes of industrial accidents, such as collapses of the grounds, mudslides, falls from scaffolds, and vehicle accidents.

The association hosted popular poster contests in an effort to raise awareness about industrial safety. Those who organized the contests presumably believed that having ordinary workers draw posters was an effective way of informing the public of the importance of preventing industrial accidents. These posters impart a strong sense of reality, because they were drawn by workers who knew safety conditions of their workplaces well.

A poster with the watchword "Happy going to
work, a cheerful family" may appear to be depicting a salaried white-collar worker's family with a full-time housewife. A closer look at the poster, however, shows that the husband is not wearing a tie. Thus, the husband in the poster is more likely to be either a blue-collar worker or a lower-ranking clerical worker.